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Bipartisan Group Of Senators Finds Common Ground On Gun Reform; Second Day Of The January 6th Hearing Set For Monday; Country Star Toby Keith Says He Has Stomach Cancer; Megaphone For Conspiracy: Alex Jones; Heat Wave Creating Dangerous Situation Across Southern U.S. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 12, 2022 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[19:00:01]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: The drama heats up when our original series "WATERGATE: BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL" continues tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

And the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Senate breakthrough as a bipartisan group finds common ground on gun reform.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any time the Senate can take action, it's kind of a miracle.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): President Trump summoned the mob.

GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R), ARKANSAS: They have the whole premise of the hearing is that President Trump is criminally responsible but in terms of criminal liability, I think the committee has a long way to go.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): I know that our first hearing pierced the sound barrier. But Americans need to pay further attention because the danger is still out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would gladly arrest 31 individuals rather than have them participate in some sort of seriously disruptive event, which is exactly what they were planning.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People here don't want everyone to forget what happened here at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando six years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's senseless. It happens all the time and we just really, really, really, you know, just need to pay respect for things like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Well, it has been 19 days since 19 young children were slaughtered in

Uvalde, Texas, along with two of their teachers and today the U.S. Senate is taking its first meaningful step toward gun safety in decades. And here are some of the provisions under discussion. As you see right here, funding for mental health resources and school safety, resources, grants for states to enact red flag laws, expanded background checks to include juvenile records, addressing the so- called boyfriend loophole and straw purchasing, and clarifying the definition of a firearms dealer.

Now 10 Republican senators have voiced support for this agreement as it now stands and that is critical. If there is an attempt to filibuster the legislation that comes from this plan you would need 10 members of the GOP and all the Democrats to end it, saying we can't fail the American people again. President Biden has been pushing for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, strengthening the background checks and doing much more, enacting safe storage and red flag laws and repealing laws making gun manufacturers immune to liability.

But many of those asks did not make it into the agreement currently on the table as you see including raising the purchase age of an AR-style weapons from 18 to 21.

CNN's Evan McKend joins me now with more on Capitol Hill for reaction to this agreement still just a framework here, Eva, but what are you hearing?

MCKEND: Well, Pam, we've been hearing from lawmakers all day in the wake of this announcement. Many with cautious optimism about this tentative agreement. Bill text, though, sight unseen. Republicans Senator Jon Cornyn of Texas, one of the lead negotiators on the deal, saying, in part, "The tragedies in Uvalde and elsewhere cried out for action." He went on to essentially argue this agreement in his view strikes the right balance of protecting people and upholding the Second Amendment.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware also among the senators who agreed to this plan, he joined CNN earlier this evening and gave us a sense of a timeline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I am cautiously optimistic that we can get this passed out of the Senate in about the next two weeks before early July. In Senate terms that would be rocketing along but for the average American who's been waiting and watching in the weeks since the horrifying shooting in Buffalo and since the tragedy in Uvalde they want us to act. They want us to act before the attention of the nation turns to something else and they want us to act before the pressures that have comprehensive prevented gun reform legislation in the past begin to work and fray this group of 20 who are committed to each other and to this project.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MCKEND: Meanwhile, two key people to watch this week, the respective leaders of the Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. While Schumer praised the framework directly as a good first step, the language from McConnell is notably more evasive. He applauded the senators for their hard work and said, quote, "I continue to hope their discussions yield a bipartisan product that makes significant headwind on key issues like mental health and school safety, respects the Second Amendment, earns broad support in the Senate, and makes a difference for our country."

Now that is not an explicit endorsement of this agreed upon framework. So I'm looking to see what more we will hear from McConnell because many Republicans will take their cues from him -- Pam.

BROWN: Yes. I was curious we didn't see him on that initial list. All right, Eva McKend, thank you.

And joining me now with a very personal view here. Manuel Oliver whose son Joaquin was tragically killed in 2018 during the Parkland school shootings in Florida.

[19:05:08]

Manuel, thank you for your time. You were just up in Washington yesterday at the "March for Our Lives" rally. You have said political inaction brings consequences. And I'm curious to know how you feel about today's news, how encouraged you are. Is something better than nothing in your view?

MANUEL OLIVER, FATHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM JOAQUIN "GUAC" OLIVER: Well, I think that anything that saves a life, and we all agree on this, it's more than welcome. Of course we were asking for more. We keep demanding for more actions. We've been doing this for more than five years in our case. And -- but you know what? At this point it's just an agreement. So there's nothing official, there's nothing actually out there that has taken effect. So I think it's too early. I think you should ask me the same question once we see the end of this story.

BROWN: So what is your level of optimism right now that we will see the end of this will become law?

OLIVER: You know what? Just starting to rewrite -- letting everybody know that I was yesterday in Washington and I was there with Patricia, with my wife, and with thousands right next to the Washington Monument and we were actually demanding and bringing the option of consequences by not doing anything. So I think that my optimism, hope stays on yesterday. There's a reason for us to do what we do, and we can see it now.

I don't think it's a coincidence that thousands were marching yesterday and today we hear this but again, there's a lot more that we are expecting to see and it's too early to see it happening. And by the way this requires speed. This is not -- this is something that everyone should be working 100 miles per hour. I was thinking today that these guys are working 100 steps per day. So every day of delay more than 100 people will die.

BROWN: And of course I hear the concern, too, that the attention will be shifted elsewhere as we so often see after mass shootings. And so there is that sense of urgency to get something done, of course. There are key items that Democrats, gun safety reform advocates had been pushing for. The assault weapons ban. The raising the age limit to buy one of these guns from 18 to 21. Those are not in this. But it is a big step. I mean, this is the biggest framework, bipartisan framework on gun reform in decades.

Why do you think this time is different? Why do you think that we have been able to see this bipartisan agreement come together now?

OLIVER: Well, I think it's different because of our reaction. We are the ones that -- I mean, we have members in Senate and Congress that were there before Parkland, and they did nothing before. So I always ask these legislators, what were you doing before the shooting?

I can see what you're doing now. And I don't need to celebrate what you're doing. I mean, this is your job. And the word celebration that I have heard today several times is not in any way something that we should use with that freedom language because you have to remember that more than 19 families in Uvalde are still hurt, and a lot of people is being hurt right now while I'm speaking to you.

So, again, I am optimistic. I've seen this happening today and I think it's a good step but you have to also keep in mind that I lost my son, and that's still there. I have to see more happening.

BROWN: Yes. That's -- you make such an important point about celebrating when you think about all the people including yourself who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

Manuel Oliver, thank you for being here with us and we will, we would love to have you back on if this does become law to get your reaction to that. Thank you.

OLIVER: Thank you.

BROWN: I want to bring in CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.

Andy, hi there. Good to see you. Soe one of the harsh realities working against meaningful gun reform in this country is the fact that many gun laws are mandated at the state level, and also there are so many guns in circulation. Right? More guns than people in this country. So how much impact can these federal regulations have, say, if these framework, these provisions are put into law?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, as you know, Pam, the federal government can legislate on gun safety measures and then states can enact their own legislation and states can go beyond what the federal government requires but they can't do less than that.

[19:10:13] And that's assuming that, although legislation that's passed is consistent with the constitutional requirements under the Second Amendment. So a very complicated system there but this from what little we know about the details of this agreement, it's not a law just yet, it's not clear to me that there's any really hard lines here that will require the states to do anything differently. We're talking about incentives to states to employ and execute red flag laws and things of that nature.

The piece about doing further investigation of minors, so people between 18 and 21, as they try to purchase weapons, that really needs a lot of more detail attached to it. It's not clear to me exactly what that will require or will it just an additional period of time for the background check folks whether that's the FBI or an individual state that does their own background check. So there's a lot of details that we really need to see here.

BROWN: Right. Because when it comes to juvenile records, some states have them expunged, some have them under seal. There is a lot to be worked out and as you know the devil is in the details here.

MCCABE: That's right.

BROWN: But I'm just curious about, as someone who is in law enforcement for so long, are you encouraged by this announcement? I mean, there are a lot of things the president was asking for that aren't even on the table including a ban on assault weapons or high- capacity magazines.

MCCABE: Yes. So, Pam, that's a great question. I'm really torn by this. You know, I carried a gun for 21 years as an FBI agent. I own a gun, as a private gun owner, still own guns. I'm a supporter for the Second Amendment. But we have to face the reality of life in this country which is our children are getting slaughtered at school at mass shooting events. So while it's hopeful that we seem to be finally on the precipice of doing something which is a massive change from doing nothing which has been the response from Congress over the last decade, and that's a good thing and that's a reason to be optimistic.

But let's not forget that the hard work that we need to do to make sure that our kids and our parents and our loved ones are safe when they go to school, when they go to house of worship, when they go to a grocery store, the hard work we're not doing with this agreement. We're not going back to an assault weapons ban.

We're not stopping teenagers from buying semiautomatic rifles and assault weapons when they turn 18 so there's a lot that this leaves untouched and my concern is when there's another mass shooting a week after this agreement becomes a law then what? Have we exhausted everything that Congress is willing to do and we're just stuck in a world where we're still getting brutalized? So I think that there's a lot more work to be done here.

BROWN: Yes. I think that that is a key question. I posed a similar question to Democratic Senator Chris Coons. He was on the show earlier today about that. Andrew McCabe, thank you so much.

MCCABE: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: A live look now at a remembrance ceremony taking place this hour at the Pulse Nightclub interim memorial in Orlando. Today marks six years since the shooting at that club where 49 people were killed. Vice President Kamala Harris referenced both the Pulse shooting and the arrest of those white supremacists in Idaho yesterday a short time ago at a Pride here in D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No one should fear going to a nightclub for fear that a terrorist might try to take them down. No one should fear going to a Pride celebration because of a white supremacist. No one should fear loving who they love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The vice president also lamented legislative attacks on the LGBTQ community in states like Texas and Florida.

Well, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Sunday, and up next, the Capitol riot committee unveils its list of witnesses taking the stand Monday.

And then triple-digit heat baking the U.S. this Sunday as the southwest sizzles as record temperatures.

Plus, country superstar Toby Keith says his fight against serious illness won't stop him from performing.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:54]

BROWN: Tomorrow morning a former Trump campaign manager, a former FOX News political editor, an election attorney, a former U.S. attorney and a former member of the elections board in Philadelphia will all testify publicly during the next public hearing for the January 6th commission. And aides are telling CNN that tomorrow's hearing will uncover how Trump knew he lost reelection but spread false information about fraud anyway.

Joining us now is former White House counsel under President Richard Nixon and CNN contributor John Dean.

Hi, John. So what parallels do you see at the January 6th hearings and the Senate Watergate hearings?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, what I see is that they jumped into the heat of the issue much faster with these hearings than with the Watergate hearings. I think the initial Watergate hearings were very slow, the networks almost pulled all coverage and went to rotating coverage, one network for each hearing so they're into the thick of it much faster.

BROWN: All right. I want to talk to you about CNN's Original Series on Watergate. Here's a preview of that.

[19:20:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The next day the president called me to the Oval Office. As the door was being opened for me to walk into the Oval Office. Walking out of the opposite side of the Oval Office and chuckling were Haldeman and Ehrlichman.

It was one of my more interesting meetings with the president. He said that I've drafted up some letters, why don't you take a look? Which he slides them across his desk and I read them. And I, first of all, realized they were open confessions. He gave me a blanket resignation letter, actually, two of them. Had I signed, I would be admitting to whatever they wanted to claim I was admitting to. They were both drafted by Ehrlichman, I later learned, and that doesn't surprise me.

I understood the way the White House worked, that people at the top didn't take responsibility, but rather blame somebody else. Create a scapegoat. It was standard operating procedure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, the series also talks about the fact that during Watergate the system worked. Right? Nixon's abuse of power was ultimately stopped. Do you have faith, I'm curious to know, that the system is working today?

DEAN: I don't have any assurance the system is going to work. We have a process that we're trying to employ. There was some cooperation during Watergate by the Republicans early. It grew as the public became educated and representatives and members of the Senate got feedback from the people that, hey, this isn't what we had in mind when we gave Richard Nixon a mandate. So it's an education process. I think it's early with January 6th Committee. They're still just started. I think they're doing an excellent job. So I'm hopeful the system will work.

BROWN: Hopeful. All right. John Dean, thank you so much.

The final episodes of CNN's original series "WATERGATE: BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL" airs tonight starting at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.

Well, country music star Toby Keith makes a surprise announcement and it's all about his health. His rigorous treatment and his fight to put cancer behind him. We're going to have all the latest on this up next on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:27:00]

(MUSIC)

BROWN: New tonight country music superstar Toby Keith announcing that he has stomach cancer. Keith said on Twitter that he was diagnosed last year and he has spent the last six months receiving chemotherapy.

CNN's Chloe Melas joins me now on the phone. So this is big news, Chloe.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Good evening, Pamela. This is a huge shock for his fans, for the country music community. You know, the fact that he says that he has been battling stomach cancer for, you know, the last half of a year is surprising to many because he's been posting, he has been touring. He actually put out an album just last year. So I think that for many of us it's a surprise and you know, he has been so philanthropic throughout his entire career.

Ironically he has a history of working for organizations that promote cancer awareness. And the fact that he now is battling stomach cancer makes it all the more poignant and emotional. You know, he's a longtime advocate for families with the Ally's House in 2004, you know, and he's really involved with charities back in his hometown of Oklahoma. But again he has, you know, so many concert dates ahead of him this summer and in the fall, and he was putting out new music.

He's posting all the time. He's an avid runner. He says that he actually said in an interview recently that he comes up with most of his music while he's out on a long run. So the fact that he's just been posting these happy moments and staying positive on social media while he has been battling this disease while also undergoing chemo and radiation and doing everything that he can to beat this, and now he says he just needs a moment to breathe and spend time with his family.

BROWN: Yes. No. Absolutely. He has been going through a lot. So of course the natural question is, Chloe, what does all of this mean for his upcoming shows?

MELAS: So look, his Web site lists a number of concerts scheduled in the weeks ahead. At least one, Pamela, has been cancelled, the July 18th event at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus. It's unclear if he's going to be taking the stage in the fall. Does that he has to breathe for a moment, just for a few weeks, for the summer.

But he did say in that last line of his message on social media that he is going to be back with his fans soon. And the outpouring from his fellow country stars and people all over the world, I mean, it has been thousands of likes and comments on social media in just the past two hours since this massive news rocked the country music industry.

BROWN: All right. Chloe Melas, thank you so much. And we are all wishing Toby Keith a swift recovery. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:34:41]

BROWN: Tonight, a potential major breakthrough on gun reform. A bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement in principle for gun safety legislation. It has the support of 10 Republican senators right now, which means there is enough support to overcome the filibuster. There is no legislative text yet, but here are the main parts of the current framework: Funding for mental health and school safety resources, grants for states to enact so-called Red Flag Laws and enhanced review process for gun buyers under 21.

[19:35:14]

BROWN: Closing the boyfriend loophole, penalties for straw purchases, and clarifying the definition of a firearm's dealer.

Here to discuss this and the latest political hot topics, Republican strategist, Alice Stewart, and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona.

Ladies, great to see you.

All right, so let's jump right into this big news today. Look, I mean, the bottom line here is that we haven't seen this in decades, a bipartisan framework, right? None of the Republicans who signed on to this bipartisan framework are up for re-election this year, four of them are retiring. So these 10 don't have much to lose politically.

It is worth noting that Mitch McConnell, he has praised the work of the negotiators. But he was not on that initial list of endorsing this framework.

Are you hopeful that we may actually see more Republicans come around on meaningful gun reform? What do you think?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm extremely hopeful, and I'm glad to see this 10 already step out in support of this. Look, I've talked with several Republican Senate offices, they are reading over the text, reading over the agreement, and I do expect to see more Republicans join on.

And look, Mitch McConnell has been quite clear from the very beginning to have real, true, meaningful gun violence prevention. It has to include all of these aspects: Mental health, school safety, and gun restrictions are all integral parts of this, and I applaud the fact that they have had meaningful bipartisan conversations that have not just looked at the gun aspect, but mental health and school safety, because this is all the key for real, meaningful prevention.

BROWN: I'm going to ask you, because this is the obvious question, right, Maria? You know, there will be more shootings, sadly, no matter what. Do you worry that Republicans will point to this legislation, if it becomes law and say gun control, does it work?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR I hope they won't, because sadly, Pam, you know, the deadliest -- the last 10 deadliest mass shooting involved an AR-15. There is nothing in here that restricts any kind of use for an AR-15.

And so, again, God forbid, the next school shooting or the next mass shooting may very well involved in AR-15. So I actually think if that happens, it will actually point to the need to do more. We do need to do more.

I am really hopeful as Alice and I am glad that this is a good first step, but I hope that that is what it is, a first step. Why would we have an 18-year-old, somebody whose frontal cortex is not completely developed, be able to access and buy an AR-15 when we don't even trust them to have a glass of wine or a beer? It doesn't make any sense.

BROWN: All right, I'm going to talk about the January 6th hearings.

Let's take a listen to Congresswoman Liz Cheney on how Trump aides described the President's reaction to the riot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): President Trump was yelling and quote, "really angry" at advisers who told him he needed to be doing something more.

And aware of the rioters chants to hang Mike Pence, the President responded with this sentiment, quote, "Maybe our supporters have the right idea." Mike Pence quote, "Deserves it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I'm wondering what you think, Alice. Do you think Pence has come out forcefully enough against the former President, given the fact that now we're learning, Trump had been in favor of Pence being hanged?

You know, I was interviewing Olivia Tory last night, a former aide to Mike Pence, and I said, do you think that Pence and other Republicans who haven't come out against Trump are lacking moral courage? And she said, yes. What do you think?

STEWART: Look, I think Pence has been a very loyal aide to the President for four years. I think he has spoken out on this and more than anything, Pence's action himself by not stopping the certification of the Electoral College votes was very impressive in my mind, and also took a lot of courage to stand up to President Trump.

I think we're going to see more. What we're going to hear tomorrow is not just what the President said in his action, but his inaction for more than 180 minutes doing absolutely nothing while this happened. That's going to speak a lot.

But the truth is, we need to get answers. We need to find out who is responsible for this. But at the end of the day, when it comes to the politics of this people heading into the midterm elections are more focused on what's going on in the midterm elections and beyond and not what happened in the last election.

BROWN: Well, and it's worth noting, Maria, that Trump is more popular than ever, right, in the wake of January 6th, according to the polling that's been done, that he is the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination. I should say more popular within his own party. What do you think about that?

CARDONA: Absence makes the heart grow crazier, maybe? I mean, it is astonishing to me, but I do think the fact that he has been off social media or at least the ones that are mainstream social media that everyone has access to or wants to have access to or wants to have access to, I think has helped him.

[19:40:13]

CARDONA: Because his crazy is not in our face each and every single day. But I think what these hearings will do is it will remind people, everyone, not just those in his party, because you know, I do think that there are those in his party who will support him no matter what, but other people -- Independents, moderate Republicans, women, the ones who rejected him in 2020 -- if he is front and center through these hearings, and through what would happen if he is able to run again in 2024, I think that will remind people exactly why they rejected him in 2020, and will not want him again, and hopefully that will happen before even he gets the chance to get the nomination.

Alice, I'm hoping that your party will actually step up and have other leaders that can hopefully beat him. But right now, like you said, according to the polling, that's not the case.

BROWN: And there is a lot of looking ahead to 2024 of some politicians like AOC may not want to be talking about who they would support, but earlier today, my colleague Dana Bash, she asked Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whether she would endorse President Biden, if he runs again, here's her answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): If the President has a vision, and that is something certainly we're all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's not a yes.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes, you know, I think we should endorse when we get to it, but I believe that the President has been doing a very good job so far. And, you know, should he run again, I think that I -- you know, I think it's -- it's -- we'll take a look at it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So these comments are not exactly a full-fledged endorsement there. In the comments column, as "The New York Times" published an article with the headline, "Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic whispers of 'no' start to rise."

I was just interviewing David Axelrod and he said, look, this is hand wringing among Democrats is kind of what Democrats do. But do you think that President Biden should be worried about an uprising within his party?

CARDONA: Well, I think what President Biden should be worried about is 2022, because that's what's in front of us, and I actually think, if we do get a shellacking in 2022, that will make it a lot easier for people to continue this kind of whisper campaign, because I do think that that's all that it is right now.

So I think this President and Democrats should be and are focused on 2022, to continue to make the case, candidate by candidate that they are the ones that have the values and the principles that are taking care of the interests of the American people, and look what Republicans are offering: No solutions, just blame and more chaos.

BROWN: Thoughts?

STEWART: That was not a trick question. That was a very easy question for her to say that she supported Joe Biden.

Look, anything short of a resounding yes to that question, is a stunning rebuke of the President, and it is laughable for her to say that he has been doing a good job when we have record inflation, the economy is in a bad spot. We're still dealing with foreign policy disasters and crime is on the rise and crisis at the border.

So look, if he is getting pushback from people of his own party, AOC being a big figure in the party, he is in real trouble.

BROWN: And AOC then took to Instagram stories --

CARDONA: Exactly.

BROWN: And said that she could --

CARDONA: She could have handled it better.

BROWN: It was a curve ball, she said, but I mean, you know --

CARDONA: She will support him in 2024 if he runs, I guarantee you.

BROWN: All right, we've got to go. Alice Stewart and Maria Cardona, thank you so much.

CARDONA: Thanks, Pam.

STEWART: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: Well, the January 6th Committee is also investigating Alex Jones. He is known for spreading disinformation and encouraged his followers to go to Washington on January 6th.

Up next, CNN senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin joins me and he has a preview of his special report on Alex Jones right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:45:20]

BROWN: The January 6 Committee hearings have begun. The second one begins tomorrow morning. And one of the things that Committee members are investigating is the role of Alex Jones.

Jones is one of the most prolific spreaders of disinformation in the U.S. He repeatedly urged his followers to travel to Washington to fight in the lead up to the insurrection.

CNN senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin is with me now. He spent months looking into Alex Jones and his special report called "Megaphone for Conspiracy" is coming up in just a few minutes.

So Drew, you talked to people who know this man, who worked for him and most shockingly, really believe him.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT And what is so surprising to those of us who have been watching from afar, this Alex Jones who really has been disregarded as this internet clown is how intricately he is involved in the financing, planning, and the possibility the insurrection that took place on January 6th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD chanting "USA.")

GRIFFIN: As Federal agents zeroed in on January 6th --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, Alex Jones.

GRIFFIN: Alex Jones' influence was on display.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to fight. You better believe, you've got one.

GRIFFIN: His own employees face criminal charges from an "Infowars" editor who streamed the riot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels good to be here today.

GRIFFIN: To Infowars host, Owen Shroyer, who was right by Jones' side.

(CROWD chanting "1776.")

GRIFFIN: At least 20 of those arrested either worked under Alex Jones, appeared on his show, or followed his content. The mother of one rioter told a judge, her son believes everything Alex Jones has to say.

[19:50:07]

GRIFFIN: Another rioter who allegedly Tased a police officer told FBI agents, Alex Jones inspired his journey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you start going to these rallies?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Infowars."

GRIFFIN: Two men linked to Jones face the most serious charges filed in the January 6th riot: Seditious conspiracy.

Oath Keeper founder, Stewart Rhodes, a frequent "Infowars" guests whose phone contains an encrypted chat that included Jones. Rhodes pleaded not guilty.

And former "Infowars" reporter and Proud Boys leader, Joe Biggs who pushed his way through the police lines into the Capitol. He also pleaded not guilty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Biggs, what have you got to say?

JOE BIGGS, "INFOWARS" REPORTER: It's awesome.

GRIFFIN: Jones has not been charged, but CNN has learned the January 6th Select Committee investigators want to know about Jones' involvement in the funding for Trump's rally, the planning for his march to the Capitol and Jones' ties to extremists now charged with conspiring against the government.

ALEX JONES, RADIO SHOW HOST: I said this, my lawyer told me almost a hundred times today during the interrogation, on advice of counsel, I am asserting my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

GRIFFIN: Jones says he refuse to answer the committee's questions about January 6th, but told his "Infowars" audience he knew nothing about a plot.

JONES: And they already know I didn't do anything, I wasn't planning any violence. I was even talking about everybody should be peaceful.

DENVER RIGGLEMAN, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: He would say he was talking about a peaceful type of fight, but that's not how it has actually translated to the people that follow Alex Jones.

(CROWD chanting "Alex.")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Pamela, once we started digging into the story, we were stunned by something else, the staggering amount of money that Alex Jones makes, how easy it is to apparently fool people to buy the products that he sells, mostly from fear and what is frightening is just how many people believe these lies and now consider Alex Jones, a trustworthy source of information -- Pamela.

BROWN: Yes. Literally profiting off of fear, preying on that. Drew Griffin, thank you.

And you can watch that special report, "Megaphone for Conspiracy: Alex Jones" coming up in just a few minutes, 8:00 PM Eastern right here on CNN.

Well, a massive heatwave has 110 million Americans dealing with heat alerts right now. You may be one of them. Meteorologist, Karen Maginnis joins me with the very latest up next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:19]

BROWN: Well, the official start of summer is more than a week away, but millions of Americans are already dealing with record heat.

I want to bring in CNN's Karen Maginnis. She joins me now. So, what have we been seeing here, Karen?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is oppressive heat. It is also the potential deadly heat not just across the Southwest, but extending over into Texas. This is going to gradually expand across the central United States, then towards the Great Lakes then across the Southeast, and temperatures unlike what we have seen so far this year.

Take a look at this, even Chicago will see just about 100 degrees that's going into Tuesday, Wednesday, you're just shy of that mark. Typically, this time of year, it would be around 80 degrees, but not just there; all the way down into Texas along the I-35 corridor that runs north and south Oklahoma City and into Dallas and to Austin and San Antonio, triple digits.

The desert southwest, those temperatures are going to back off a few degrees. It's not going to be anything dramatic, but rather than 110 or 115 degrees, which is just as hot as it is across the Middle East, those temperatures are going to be in the low one hundreds, and then by the end of the week, it looks like a monsoon session starts to develop.

Look at the Gulf Coast region temperatures, even Houston comes close to hitting that 100 degree mark again. So sizzling hot temperatures under this heat dome. It travels across the Central U.S. towards the Great Lakes and eventually into the Carolinas.

So sizzling heat here and remember, it isn't just humans that are affected by this heat. Make sure you check on humans that may be vulnerable to this, but also pets and also livestock. They can be affected as well. It looks like, Pamela, we could see these temperatures, these triple digit readings all the way into Wednesday and Thursday before they start to back off.

Back to you.

BROWN: And again, not even officially summer.

Karen, thank you for that.

I love this story right here. An elementary school in Miami might have some superstars in the making.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS] BROWN: Look at them go. Second graders at KIPP Royalty Academy

performed for their graduation ceremony, and I want you to pay attention to the little boy in the tie right here. His name is Carter.

And as you can see, Carter stealing the show. He's got all the moves. He is hitting every move and not missing a beat. What a great way for Carter and his class to end the school year.

Quite the celebration. I love the enthusiasm there.

Go Carter.

Well, thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Pamela Brown. I'll see you again next weekend.

The CNN special report Alex Jones, "Megaphone for Conspiracy" is up next.

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